Lord of the Rings: The Switching Curse
by Dinosaur Soldier
Summary: Saruman the White Wizard discovered a special magic stone in Isengard and used it to switch a member of the Fellowship of the Ring with another individual from another world.
1. Prologue

Saruman the white wizard of Isengard betrayed the Free Peoples of Middle-earth to the Dark Lord Sauron whose spirit had endured after the dark lord's defeat in Dagorland. Sauron gave Saruman orcs who took menial tasks of construction, excavation, blacksmithing, and working the furnaces. The Isengard crew discovered a special stone with magic during the excavation and Saruman decided to try it out.

The Fellowship of the Ring was established in Rivendell consisted of Frodo the young hobbit, Gandalf the grey wizard, Aragorn of the Dunedain, Boromir of Gondor, Gimli the dwarf of the Lonely Mountain, Legolas the elf prince of Mirkwood, along with the other three hobbits: Sam, Merry, and Pippin. They set out on the quest to Mt. Doom to destroy the One Ring to kill Sauron.

After the Crebain of Dunland reported to Saruman that the Fellowship was heading to the Redhorn Pass, the white wizard not only caused an avalanche on the Fellowship but also used the stone switching one of the Fellowship members with another individual from another world.


	2. Chapter 1-1

The remaining members of the Fellowship got up from the snow. "Legolas is missing!" Aragorn shouted.

"What kind of trick did Saruman played on us?" Gimli shouted.

"I think he found something we did not know," Gandalf stated the fact.

Out of the snow was a man wearing a leather jacket, gloves, short-sleeved black shirt, blue pants, and boots.

"Who are you?" Boromir asked.

"The name's Leon Scott Kennedy, can you tell me where I am? How did I get here?" said the strange man.

"It must be the work of white wizard Saruman. We're in the Redhorn Pass of Middle-earth," Gandalf answered.

"Where are you guys going?" Leon asked.

"We're accompanying Frodo to Mt. Doom of Mordor to destroy the One Ring," Aragorn answered introducing the young hobbit.

"What are your names?" Leon asked.

"This is not the time yet! We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" Boromir shouted dodging the question.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn shouted to counter the statement.

"If we cannot pass over the mountain! Let us go under it! Let us go through the mines of Moria," said Gimli.

The grey wizard appeared to have difficulty in deciding where to go.

Saruman knew what Gandalf feared, "Moria. You fear to go into the mines. The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum. Shadow and Flame!"

"Let the Ring bearer decide," said Gandalf letting Frodo making the decision.

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!" Boromir shouted.

"Hobbits?" Leon asked.

"That's us here!" Pippin shouted getting Leon's attention.

"Frodo?" the grey wizard asked.

"We will go through the mines," the young hobbit spoke as a decision was made.

"So be it," Gandalf spoke as he would have to face the fear.

* * *

When Legolas opened his eyes, he saw a pair of men in blue outfit with the word, "Policia" on their backs. He was inside something that he never saw before and the scene was moving when he looked out through the window. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"

"We're in Spain, we're going to the village where the American president's daughter is held," said the man in common language.

"Spain?"

"That's right. The man before you would know better."

"Who?"

"He didn't give us his name. We stopped the car when there was a flash of light. That was when you came in."

"A car?"

"Yes. No offense, elves know nothing about what humanity has in this world."

Legolas found himself having strange items he had never seen before: a grappling hook device and a satellite phone. The phone rang and the man said, "It's for you, answer it."

"How do you use it?"

"Click the right button and listen," the man pointed at the left button.

When Legolas clicked the button and placed it into his ear, he heard, "Hi, I'm Ingrid Hannigan, I'll be your support on this mission."

"Who was the man supposed to rescue the president's daughter?"

"Who is this?"

"I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm."

"The man is called Leon Scott Kennedy and the president's daughter is called Ashley Graham. I'll try to find some information on them on my end as well. Where's Leon?"

"I was supposed to be with Frodo and his companions on the quest to Mt. Doom. After Saruman the white wizard caused an avalanche on us, I woke up here."

"Let me guess, you and Leon swapped places as a result of magic. Anyway, you will be taking his mission," Hannigan hung up the call.

"And Leon will be taking my place," Legolas thought. He found something in his pocket and it was a photo of a fair-looking blonde girl whom he guessed to be the president's daughter.

The car crossed the bridge and stopped. "Just up ahead is the village," the driver pointed.

Legolas got out of the car and had a look at it. "We'll stay and watch that car. Don't want to get any parking tickets."

"Parking tickets?"

"Placing the car in an area against the rules," said the other man.

"Good luck," said the driver.

After that, he proceeded to a house. He went in and approached a man wearing a dirty shirt, brown pants, and red vest. "Excuse me, have you seen this girl?" Legolas asked as he showed him the photo.

The man spoke another language in an unfriendly tone.

"Sorry didn't mean to bother you," said Legolas as he put back the photo. The elf noticed the man took a hatchet with his left hand to attack. He instantly took out his knives to parry the hatchet and to slash the man on the throat.

There were loud noises Legolas never heard before and there was a crash. Three men began banging on the door: a man wearing overalls equipped with a pitchfork, a young man with a hatchet, and an elderly man with a sickle.

There was an incoming call from Hannigan, "Is everything okay?"

"There was a man who wasn't courteous to the point I had to take him down. But more men were coming."

"Get out of there and head toward the village. Take whatever measures necessary to save the subject," Hannigan ordered.

"Got it," Legolas ended the call.

The prince of Mirkwood fired two arrows at the two men who were able to throw the sickle and hatchet. He finished the man with pitchfork with another arrow.

The elf went back and found the bridge destroyed. On the river there was the car and the truck. He wondered where the men in the car go.

Without any other choice, Legolas proceeded to the village. On his way, he freed a dog from a bear trap. He destroyed crates and barrels taking whatever he could find: herbs and money.

At the time, he arrived to the village. Legolas hid behind the tree and looked far away with his hawk eyes. The people were working normally but to the elf's horror he saw the body of the man in blue.

Unknown to the elf, Albert Wesker observed the village using the satellite that was the property of Umbrella Corporation. He sent a dark-haired woman wearing a red dress to the village on another mission. After the woman in red had a look on the village, she faced a village woman equipped with a knife and her husband with a pitchfork. She somersaulted extending the cable from her grappling hook gun and pulled the trigger. The cable sent the man in overalls flying and took down the village woman. Wesker knew what caused the villagers to be hostile to outsiders and gave the woman the first objective of ringing the church bells to quiet them down.

An arrow landed into a villager and there was a call for intruder. The woman in red saw the villagers heading towards where the arrow came from. Without being seen, she saw Legolas killing a single villager with an arrow and the elf was a skilled knife fighter. "Who is he? What is he here for?" she thought.

Legolas and the woman hid in different houses. The elf barricaded the door with a cabinet and observed through an opening. He heard strange noises and saw a villager wearing overalls and sack mask wielding a mechanical weapon he had never seen before. The woman in red recognized the noises as the motor of the chainsaw. Legolas saw the villagers began banging on the wooden planks in the window area and barricaded it with a shelf. However there was loud crack as a ladder slammed on the glass window upstairs. He went upstairs taking a weapon he had never seen before and knocked the ladder down to slow the villagers down. The villager with chainsaw destroyed the door and dashed upstairs. Legolas fired an arrow at him but the body shot sent him flying backwards knocking him down. The elf fired more arrows at the head but when the chainsaw man got up, a headshot sent the villager staggering while placing the left hand on the face. Behind the chainsaw man, more villagers were heading towards Legolas.

The woman in red hurried to the church and operated the mechanisms to ring the church bells. This caught all of the villagers' attention and they dropped their weapons. The villagers began heading towards the church and one of them muttered, "Lord Saddler."

Once the village was empty, there was an incoming call, "Something is wrong with the villagers. They don't seem to be welcoming," Legolas told Hannigan.

"Legolas you need to get out there. Look for a tower and follow the trail near it," she told him.

"Got it, thanks," Legolas ended the call.

Legolas went north of the village and passed an area where livestock were housed. As he went down the slope, three villagers rolled a boulder on him. The elf sprinted all the way down and dodged the boulder. The villagers were equipped with weapons he had never seen before and it was explosive. The elf watched carefully as the villagers lit the weapon before throwing them. Legolas quickly shot the villagers so that the explosion would kill the other villagers. He went into the abandoned house and continuous banging was heard.

The woman in red went to a house that was better-looking gathering information unknown to Legolas. She received another objective from Wesker to find a researcher held captive in the abandoned house northwest from the village.

Legolas found the source that was a closet and something was inside. The elf unlocked the closet and a tied-up man in a nice outfit landed on the floor. The elf took off the tape from the man's mouth, "You're rough don't you think? What is an elf doing here?"

"I'm on a mission. What business do you have here?" Legolas spoke while he untied the prisoner.

"Okay, I have only one very important question. You got a smoke?" the prisoner asked.

"I don't think so," said Legolas.

Two villagers: a man in overalls equipped with a pitchfork and a man in red vest wielding a hatchet arrived. A tall man wearing a coat with a relatively big beard took several steps forward between the two villagers.

"Perfect. The big chief," the prisoner recognized the tall man.

"What?" Legolas fired an arrow but the village chief caught it. The village chief tossed the arrow aside causing the elf to use knives. The prince of Mirkwood charged but the village chief caught his arm and then tossed him right at the prisoner destroying closet in the process.

When the woman in red arrived, she saw the village men taking the prisoners away. She began to follow them without being noticed.


	3. Chapter 1-2

As the Fellowship was approaching Moria, "We should introduce ourselves, my name is Gandalf."

"Aragorn son of Arathorn."

"Boromir of Gondor."

"Gimli son of Gloin."

"Frodo."

"Sam."

"Merry."

"Pippin."

"It's nice meeting all of you," said Leon.

"Frodo, come and help an old man," Gandalf said to Frodo. "How's your shoulder?"

"Better than it was," said the young hobbit.

"And the Ring? You feel its power growing, don't you? I've felt it too. You must be careful now. Evil will be drawn to you from outside the Fellowship … And, I fear, from within."

"Who then do I trust?"

"You must trust yourself. Trust your own strengths."

"What do you mean?"

"There are many powers in this world, for Good or for Evil. Some are greater than I am. And against some I have not yet been tested."

"The Walls … of Moria!" Gimli gasped.

The Fellowship approached the entrance area, "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," said the dwarf.

"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten," said Gandalf.

"How can you tell which is the door?" Leon asked.

The wizard seemed to figure out the door which was a rock face, "Now … let's see. Ithildin … It mirrors only starlight … and moonlight."

When the moon appears, the white light appeared in the rock face. It showed two columns beneath an arch with a star in the center. Strange writings were in the arch and Gandalf explained, "It reads 'The Doors of Durin – Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'"

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open," said the wizard and then he muttered strange language Leon had never heard before. Nothing happened as a result

"Let me guess, it's a magical door," said the American.

"Yes, it is. I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves … Men … and Orcs," said Gandalf.

"What are you going to do, then?" Pippin asked.

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words," said the wizard as he attempted to open the door but it was useless.

Aragorn unbuckled everything from the pony the Fellowship brought with them, "The mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill."

"Bye-bye Bill," Sam spoke in a sad tone.

"Go on, Bill, go on. Don't worry Sam, he knows the way home," Aragorn spoke in a reassuring tone.

Leon noticed Merry and Pippin threw ball-sized rocks into the water and was stopped by Aragorn, "Do not disturb the water."

"You know what lies under the water?" Leon asked.

"It's called the Watcher in Water," said Aragorn.

Frodo seemed to figure out the writing, "It's a riddle. Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?"

When Gandalf spoke the word, the stone doors slowly opened.

"Soon, Leon, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin," said Gimli.

Leon still had the flashlight device on his belt and turned it on revealing dirty, broken stairs and columns.

"And they call it a mine. A mine!" said the dwarf.

"More like an old mine," the American spoke sarcastically.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb!" Boromir countered the statement.

"Oh no … Noooo!" Gimli yells in pain upon seeing bodies of dwarven soldiers, some of them had arrows embedded.

Leon checked the bodies and wondered who attacked the dwarves earlier.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here!" said Boromir.

The hobbits began backing toward the door however; something was approaching the group from behind.

"Now get out of here, get out!" Boromir ordered.

Something grabbed Frodo and pulled off his feet. "Frodo!" Sam, Merry, and Pippin yelled as they grab onto their friend stopping him from being dragged into the water.

"STRIDER! LEON!" Sam caught the attention from Aragorn and Leon.

"HELP!" Frodo shouted as the tentacle continues to try and pull him into the water. Though Sam attempted to cut off the tentacle, it could only force the tentacle to release the hobbit. More tentacles appeared lashing on the hobbits like whips and grabbed Frodo on his legs.

"FRODO!" Merry shouted.

The American readied his pistol and opened fired at the tentacles.

"STRIDER! LEON!" Frodo shouted.

Leon switched his gun with his knife to cut the tentacles. Boromir and Aragorn joined slashing the tentacles with their swords. However, the tentacles held Frodo very tightly and the creature's head appeared to devour him.

"It's like a kraken!" Leon shouted.

Boromir stopped the Watcher by cutting another tentacle. After Aragorn cut off the tentacle holding Frodo, Boromir caught the young hobbit.

"INTO THE MINES!" the wizard shouted.

"LEON!" Boromir shouted.

"Into the cave!" Aragorn yelled.

Leon fired several rounds on the Watcher's head causing it to recoil.

"RUN!" Aragorn shouted as the Fellowship retreated into the mine with Leon covering the retreat. He continued firing his pistol at the tentacles depleting a clip while walking backwards. The Watcher began to come out of the water and slammed the tentacles on the cliff.

"LEON!" Merry shouted.

Rocks began to fall from the ceiling and Leon took off in full speed. He sprinted and jumped right in front of the Fellowship as the falling rocks blocked the entrance.

"What weapon was that?" Sam asked.

"It's a nine millimeter handgun," the American replied. "Frodo are you okay?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks to you, Aragorn, and Boromir," said the Ring bearer.

"It seems we now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria," said Gandalf as he lit his staff while Leon had the device on. "Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world."

Leon, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli had their weapons ready as they proceeded through the mines. "Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed," said the wizard.

"What were the dwarves mining?" Leon whispered.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold … or jewels … but Mithril," Gandalf said as he shone down the pit making the others to look over. "Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

"Oh, that was a kingly gift," said Gimli.

"Yes! I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire," said the wizard.

After the Fellowship climbed the steep stairs, everybody took a break.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked.

"No," Merry replied.

"I think we are," Pippin said.

"Shhh! Gandalf's thinking," said Sam.

"Merry?" Pippin asked.

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

"There's something down there!" Frodo spoke as he spotted someone. Leon noticed that they were being followed.

"It's Gollum," Gandalf spoke as he knew it was.

"Gollum?"

"He's been following us for three days," said Gandalf.

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dur!" Frodo spoke in a surprised.

"Escaped? Or set loose?"

"And now the Ring had drawn here. He will never be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. Smeagol's life is a sad story. Yes, Smeagol he was once called. Before the Ring found him … before it drove him mad."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance!" Frodo says.

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?"

Frodo was out of words.

"Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill … before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. Another example is Saruman's discovery leading to Legolas and Leon to swap places. And that is an encouraging thought," said Gandalf. "Oh! It's that way."

"He remembered," said Merry.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here," said Gandalf. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

Leon had the flashlight device on as the Fellowship proceeded further.

"Behold: the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf," Gandalf introduced the dark halls.

"Now there's an eye opener and no mistake," said Sam.

"The fate of this place was better than Raccoon City," Leon muttered.

"Raccoon City? Where's that?" Pippin asked.

"It's not in this world, but was in the world where I come from," said Leon.

"What happened to it?" Aragorn asked.

"1998, I'll never forget it. It was the year of the grisly murders in the Arklay Mountains. Soon after, the news revealed to be the fault of a secret viral experiment conducted by the international pharmaceutical enterprise, Umbrella. The virus broke out into a nearby mountain community, Raccoon City. It hit the peaceful little town with a devastating crippling blow," Leon recalled.

"What happened to the people there?" Merry asked.

"The virus turned the dead people into zombies, but the zombies could live people into new zombies by scratching and biting. Zombies were not the only problem, I also fought monsters known as Bio Organic Weapons. Not taking any chances, the president of the United States ordered the destruction of Raccoon City with a weapon powerful enough to destroy a whole city. A few of us survived the incident. With the whole affair gone public, the United States government ordered a suspension of business degree on Umbrella, soon its stock prices crashed. For all intents and purposes, Umbrella is finished," Leon finished the history.

"That's a lot to take," Boromir commented.

"I'm sorry to hear about it," Aragorn offered empathy.

The Fellowship continued their way through the hall and Gimli ran ahead to a chamber where there was a tomb.

"No! No! No!" Gimli spoke as he found it difficult to accept. Boromir placed his hand on the dwarf's shoulder.

Gandalf translated the language written on the tomb, "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Gimli cried realizing that his cousin was dead.

"He is dead then. It's as I feared," said the wizard. He handed his staff and hat to Pippen and then took a book from a dead body.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Gimli," Leon spoke with sympathy. "We've got to keep moving after you grief for Balin."

Gandalf read the book, "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums, drums, in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming."

Pippin twisted the arrow on the dead body causing the skull to fall off into the well and there was a continuous crash. The body, the chain, and the bucket followed the skull falling into the well with echoing noises. Everybody turned to Pippin who looked guilty for what he had done.

"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf scolded Pippin as he slammed the book shut. The wizard quickly took back his hat and staff.

There was a series of drum beats causing the Fellowship to be filled with terror.

"Frodo," Sam said as he saw Frodo's short sword glowed blue.

"They're coming!" Leon shouted without any clue of what inhabited Moria.

Boromir went to the door and check but two arrows landed on the door. Aragorn ran over and dragged Boromir in.

"Get back! You stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn ordered the hobbits.

"They have a cave troll," said Boromir as a roar was heard.

Leon had his pistol ready, Gandalf drew his sword, and the hobbits took out their short swords. The men barricaded the door with what they could find.

"Aarrgghh! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!" Gimli spoke as he prepared his axe.

As a ranger, Aragorn had his bow and arrow ready. Leon stood next to him aiming his pistol while whatever was behind the door was breaking in. Aragorn released an arrow through the crack followed by a gunshot through another crack.

"Goblins!" Leon spoke as he made out of what was breaking the door. Knowing that ammo was scarce, he made every shot count as he gunned down the goblins. He took out his knife to take on the scimitar-wielding goblin warriors. He clashed blades with the goblin swordsmen and managed to stab some of them. Boromir and Aragorn took out swords to slash the goblin warriors while Gimli hacked any goblin attempted to take on the dwarf. Gandalf and the hobbits joined in as they cut and stabbed the goblins.

The goblins pulled in a cave troll that was a mighty humanoid beast equipped with a mace. Leon fired several rounds at it but its thick skin made its body invulnerable. Sam slid under the beast to dodge its mace but the men had to pull the chain to prevent it from stepping on the hobbit. But the troll swung Boromir sending him flying to the side and Leon stopped a goblin from killing him with a round from his pistol. Gimli hurled an axe at the troll and dodged the attack letting the troll killing any goblin within range. Gandalf had to melee the goblins with his sword and staff. Leon aimed for the troll's head and fired. The troll used the chains on its neck as a whip and lashed on the American. When the chain was stuck, Leon used it as a bridge to get onto the troll and sank his knife on its head. The troll shrieked in pain and broke the chains.

Sam not only used his short sword but also his skillet to fight the goblins, "I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"FRODO!" Aragorn shouted seeing Frodo separated from Merry and Pippin after the troll turned on them. Though the young hobbit tried to hid from the troll, it found him. Frodo was pinned but then being grabbed by the troll.

"Aragorn? Aragorn!" Frodo grabbed the ranger's attention and slashed the troll's hand to break free. Aragorn attempted to spear the troll causing it to drop the mace while Merry and Pippin hurled ball-sized rocks at it. The troll sent the man flying and took the spear out to skewer Frodo.

"Ughh … uhh!" Frodo caught attention of Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, and Leon. The other two hobbits jumped right at the troll stabbing it mercilessly with rage.

"Frodo!" Sam spoke in horror seeing Frodo had fallen and hurried to fight his way to him. Gandalf and Boromir slashed the remaining goblins in the area.

The troll managed to grab Merry; Gimli hacked the troll with his axe followed by Gandalf slashing at the beast. After the dwarf hacked the troll again, he was being swept onto the ground. Pippin stabbed the troll once more and Leon aimed his pistol right at the troll's mouth. The American finished the beast off with several rounds landing onto the troll's brain.

"Oh no," Aragorn spoke as he and Sam hurried to Frodo's side.

"Is Frodo …" Leon asked but being cut off by Sam.

"He's alive!"

Frodo regained breathe, "I'm all right, I'm not hurt."

"How is it possible? You could've been killed by that spear," said Leon.

"Leon got a point, that spear would have skewered a wild boar," Aragorn spoke with a metaphor.

"I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye," said Gandalf.

Frodo revealed that he was wearing something underneath his shirt and Gimli recognized, "Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

* * *

"An elf? Let us give you our power. Soon, you will become unable to resist this … intoxicating power," there was voice and Legolas was injected with something on his neck.

When the elf woke up, he was chained and the prisoner was behind him. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Crawled out of one hole and to the other," the prisoner woke up.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"What mission are you taking? Hey, easy, whoever you are," the prisoner dodged the question.

"I'm Legolas of the Woodland realm, came here looking for this girl, you seen her?" Legolas took out the photo and asked.

"Let me guess, she's the president's daughter," the prisoner recognized her.

"Good guesser, can you start explaining?" Legolas asked.

"Psychic powers. Just kidding amigo. Well I heard one of the villagers talking about the president's daughter is in the church."

"What's your name?

"Me llamo Luis Sera, used to be a cop in Madrid. Now I'm just a good-for-nothing guy who happened to be quite a ladies' man."

"What are you now?"

But their conversation ended with a villager dragging a halberd towards them.

"Do something Legolas!" Luis spoke in a desperate tone.

"After you," the elf watched carefully and ordered when the time is right. "Now!"

The villager sank the blade that cut them free and Legolas took his weapons before taking the villager down. Luis escaped at that time.

Legolas answered another call from Hannigan, "Sorry I couldn't talk to you soon because I was tied up."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm alright. I freed a prisoner."

"What happened to him?"

"He escaped. He told me that Ashley is in the church."

"Do you have the exact location of the church?"

"I will have to return to the village. There's got to be a way there," Legolas finished the call.

On his way out of the building, there was a mysterious man masked, "Over here, stranger."

Legolas found the man who said, "Got something that might interest you." He chuckled while opening his trench coat. "Got a selection of good things on sale, stranger." What the elf saw were weapons he had never seen before, a metal container. With the money available, he bought additional arrows.

"Do you know how to use this?" Legolas took out the new weapon he took from a village house.

"Don't tell you have never used a gun before," said the mysterious man.

"I'm afraid so."

"This is a 12-gauge pump action shotgun. Point the barrel on your target and pull the trigger. You can blast multiple targets at close and wide range. Be sure to slide this after one shot. To reload, slide the shells into the loading gate underneath," the merchant taught Legolas how to use the weapon as well as to turn the safety on and off.

Legolas also bought a long-range bolt-action rifle and the merchant showed him how to use it from operating the bolt to reloading.

After finishing his business, "come back anytime," said the merchant.

Though Legolas had new weapons, he preferred to use his bow and knives on the next hordes of village men as he proceeded through the mountainous area and the unknown building.

The woman in red returning to the house saw the village chief and pair of village men heading in. Legolas did a puzzle on the backdoor of the house before entering. The elf learned that the villagers were being controlled by mind-controlling parasites called Las Plagas. The children of the villagers had died after being injected with the Plagas parasite. The elf wondered what evil could master those parasites. He then took a key from the box.


	4. Chapter 1-3

The Fellowship heard more goblins were coming and their shadows were seen. "Is there a way out of here?" Leon asked.

"Yes, to the bridge of Khazad-dum," Gandalf spoke as he knew the way and led the group out. The thousands of goblins were popping out all over the place and surrounded the group covering the whole area. Those nasty humanoids leered and snarled on the frightened Fellowship.

"Don't make any move or else they'll butcher us all," said the American and the group did nothing.

The leering and snarling stopped as there was another sound. The sound followed by a bright orange light and the goblins scurried knowing what was coming. "What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked.

"A Balrog, a demon from the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you, even you Leon," Gandalf spoke as he knew the fear. "Run!"

The wizard led the group to a passageway, "Quickly!"

Boromir went ahead but nearly fell from the stairs and Leon pulled him back.

"Gandalf!" Aragorn spoke as he noticed that his friend was tired.

"Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near!" said the wizard as they group spotted the bridge. "Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!"

The Fellowship descended downstairs on the other side but there was a gap.

"Gandalf, I'll give you …" Leon prepared to toss the wizard seeing his old age.

"Don't worry about me. Even if I'm old, I can still make a jump," the wizard cut him off and jumped ahead.

"Aragorn, go!" the American ordered the ranger to jump joining Gandalf.

An arrow bounced right in front of Boromir, Merry, and Pippin as the goblin archers from the far ledge began shooting at the Fellowship. Aragorn returned the fire with his bow and Leon aimed his pistol carefully at the goblin archers. The American pulled the trigger taking down the goblin archers causing them to fall into the abyss.

"Merry! Pippin!" Boromir yelled as he held onto the two hobbits tightly. As the hobbits held onto the man, Boromir jumped on the second the stairs crumbled then fell. Leon put his pistol aside, "Sam."

The American tossed the corpulent hobbit and Boromir caught him. But Gimli held his hand up, "Nobody tosses a dwarf!"

Gimli jumped by nearly fell, "Not the beard!" as Aragorn grabbed the beard pulling him up.

Leon and Frodo were left however the stairs crumbled, "Hold on!" Leon ordered. He took several steps back joining the young hobbit but their distance from the rest of the group increased slightly. As the Balrog was getting closer, stone structures around the mine collapsed. A boulder destroyed the steps behind Leon and Frodo, "Hang on!" the American ordered holding the young hobbit to his arm.

"Lean forward!" Leon spoke as the stairs was falling. As they leaned forward causing the broken stairs to fall right in front of the rest of the Fellowship. Boromir caught Frodo while Aragorn caught Leon. The Fellowship continued to hurry downstairs but to the point Gandalf ordered, "Over the bridge! Fly!"

The wizard turned to face the flames making up the Balrog that was massive in size having bat-wings, horns, and cloven hooves. The monstrous humanoid roared at the wizard causing the Fellowship to run over to the bridge. Gandalf remain behind to cover the retreat while the others watched.

"YOU CANNOT PASS!" Gandalf shouted angrily at the Balrog that spread its arms bursting into cracking, thundering flame.

"GANDALF!" Frodo shouted in fear.

"I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor," Gandalf had his staff with radiating white light and sword ready. "The dark fire will not avail you, FLAME OF UDUN!"

The demon sank its fire sword on Gandalf but was shattered by the shield the wizard formed with his staff. The monster roared at Gandalf who said strongly clenching his teeth, "Go back to the Shadow!"

The Balrog took several steps closer with his flaming whip lashing menacingly. "YOU … SHALL NOT … PASS!" Gandalf shouted pounded the bridge with his staff and there was a flash. When the Balrog attempted to take on the wizard, the bridge collapsed causing the monster to fall. As the wizard made his move, the Balrog caught Gandalf with its whip.

"Gandaaaalf!" Frodo shouted attempted to help him but Leon grabbed him.

The wizard hung onto the bridge and eyed Frodo sadly, "Fly, you fools." The wizard let go of the stone and fell into the chasm joining the Balrog.

"Nooooooooooo!" Frodo shouted in sadness and pain.

"EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Leon shouted turning Frodo away from the scene. The goblin archers fired at the escaping Fellowship and the arrows missed. When the remnants of the group got out of Moria, the goblins seemed to give up the chase.

* * *

Legolas heard someone talking downstairs and the woman in red heard the same conversation in the language she knew as Spanish. The elf walked slowly and quiet but when he turned to look behind. Suddenly, the village chief grabbed his neck strangling him. The tall man dropped the elf after seeing the elf's red eyes, "You carry the same blood as us, it seems. Nevertheless, you're an outsider. Just remember, if you become unpleasant to our eyes, you will face severe consequences." This left Legolas baffled and he followed the village chief to his bedroom.

The woman in red did a hook shot and she landed onto the roof of the house. At that second Legolas went in with his arrow ready, the village chief charged at him causing the arrow to fly into a portrait. The village chief stepped on him to kill but was shot twice on both of his shoulders. This made the village chief to become aware that Legolas was not alone as the tall man saw the woman in red. The woman in red put away her pistol and pulled the trigger of the grappling hook gun before the village chief jumped out of the window. Legolas wondered who had saved his life. The villagers prevented the woman in red from escaping. Before she could open fire with her pistol, a young villager fired a tranquilizer dart at her from a rifle. The village chief found her and gave orders on what to do with her.

"Legolas, I've been able to get some new info that might help you," Hannigan called the elf.

"Tell me about it."

"Apparently, there's a religious cult group involved. They're called the Los Illuminados."

"Los Illuminados? What can I say? I had an unexpected run-in with the big chief of this village."

"But you're okay right?"

"I'm okay. I was spared because he said that I'm carrying the same blood as them."

"'Carry the same blood …' Hmm … Interesting …"

"I'll the find the answer later."

"You should. Hurry and find that church Legolas."

Legolas encountered another masked killer wielding the same mechanical weapon. Instead of overalls, that individual was similar to those of the elderly village men. The elf knocked him down with an arrow and quickly took down the other villagers including young-looking women. Legolas quickly fired arrows at the killer's head repeatedly until he died.

Legolas returned to the village and figured out a passage to the church. When approaching a graveyard, he heard an intruder call.

"Not old women too," Legolas thought seeing an elderly woman wearing a yellow shirt and green skirt. Like what the elf did to the other villagers, he put her out of her misery. In the area, there were both elderly and younger villagers regardless of the gender. One of the younger looking village women was carrying the explosive weapon; Legolas had to shoot her before she threw the weapon so it could blow the other village men around her.

Despite his attempt to enter the church, the door was lock. Though he told Hannigan that, she responded with, "Didn't they teach you how to pick locks?"

"I don't think so. I think it required something to fit inside."

"Legolas, you have to find some way or something to get inside."

When Legolas hurried to a lake, he saw a pair of village men dumping the remaining man in blue into the water. After the village men left, something big in the lake devoured him. It was like a large reptile different from a dragon. Upon seeing that thing, Legolas knew that he would not cross the lake without a fight. The elf found a boat with no oars to paddle but something on the back. Earlier he noticed a villager in overalls operated the thing on the back of the boat. Legolas looked around the object finding what to use to start the machine and found another handle. He pulled slightly and there was a wire. Legolas pulled it completely and heard the machine operating.

Just as the elf expected, the monster attacked him when he crossed the lake. The anchor embedded into its skin, forcing him to kill it. Legolas found some harpoons he could use and hurled them at the beast. He had to drive the boat to dodge the obstacles and the beast itself. Using the harpoons could help conserve the arrows and ammo.

When the beast was hit with sufficient force, it began sinking but the ropes entangled Legolas' legs. The elf desperately cut the ropes with his knife so that he would not drown. Unfortunately after Legolas reached to the other side of the lake, he began coughing out blood and there was some unusual activity inside his body. The elf began to feel dizzy and lost consciousness upon entering a house.


	5. Chapter 2-1

The remainder of the Fellowship except Leon grieved for the loss of their friend after they got out of Moria. Hours later Aragorn led the group to a forest region known as Lorien.

There was a masked man wearing a trench coat catching the Fellowship's attention, "Over here, strangers."

The group followed the man who said, "Got something that might interest you." He chuckled as he opened his trench coat. "Got a selection of good things on sale, strangers."

"What are those? I've never seen them before," Boromir said looking at the guns and grenades with wonderment.

"These are the weapons from the world where I come from. Guns and grenades replaced swords, spears, shields, bows, and arrows," said Leon.

The American replenished ammunition for his pistol and bought a tactical vest.

"It takes more than that to make armor," Boromir commented on how poorly designed the vest was.

"These vests are bullet-proof unlike steel suit of armor. The armor we wear nowadays doesn't cover the arms, groin, and legs," said American.

"You can still take damage on the exposed areas," said Boromir.

Leon also bought a M60 machine-gun along with its ammunition and several fragmentation grenades.

Boromir considered that he would not need any of those weapons as he was happy with his sword.

"Is there a … gun that won't make any noise?" Aragorn asked.

"No gun is silent itself. Want to try this?" the merchant presented the ranger a pistol with silencer. "With the silencer, it can be quiet."

"I'll take that one," said Aragorn as he purchased the gun along with its ammo.

After business was done, "come back, anytime," the merchant spoke as he closed his trench coat and the remainder of the Fellowship continued their journey.

"Stay close, young Hobbits! They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf witch … of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under spell …" said Gimli.

"Frodo …" there was a voice.

"… and are never seen again," said Gimli.

"You're coming to us … is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Ring-bearer!" there was that voice again.

"Mr. Frodo?" said Sam noticing something was odd.

"Leon," that voice was calling the American.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Leon shouted.

"You and Legolas swapped places as a result from Saruman's curse," the voice shocked the American.

"Well, here is one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" Gimli spoke with overconfidence.

The elf archers of Lorien had their arrows ready aiming at the Fellowship and their captain said, "The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark."

"Will you all please stand down? We have no quarrel with you," Leon attempted to speak up to the elves who then took the group in.

The elf captain of the guards said to Aragorn in a language Leon did not understand.

"Haldir," said the ranger.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves, speak words we can also understand," Gimli spoke in an annoyed tone.

"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days," Haldir replied in common language.

"And you know what this Dwarf says to that?" Gimli then said something Leon had never heard.

"That was not so courteous," Aragorn spoke in an uneasy tone to the dwarf.

"You should learn some manners," Leon said to Gimli.

Haldir turned to the American and spoke in a welcoming tone using common language, "Welcome, Leon Scott Kennedy of the United States."

"Thank you, Mr. Haldir."

Haldir turned to Frodo and said, "You bring great evil with you." The elf turned to Aragorn, "You can go no further."

Leon wondered what was wrong with Haldir while Aragorn talked the elf out. He talked to Frodo, "Hey Frodo, how are you feeling now?"

There was no response.

"Frodo. Though I don't know Gandalf for long, he is a very brave old man. He sacrificed his life to protect all of us and to take down the Balrog. You should look forward to completing your mission and if you succeed, Gandalf and your family will be proud of you."

"You've seen people dying in where you come from. Did you lose a friend there?"

"I lost a friend whom I didn't know for long. There's nothing I can do about it. Even if the T-virus brought those people back from the dead, it would only make them undead. There is no difference between the dead and undead. Better that those people die without going into the undead stage."

"Leon is right, Gandalf's death is not in vain, nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight to the dead," Boromir said to the young hobbit.

Haldir turned Frodo, "You will follow me." The captain of the guards led the Fellowship to a point where he introduced, "Caras Galadhon, the heart of Elven-dom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

Haldir led the Fellowship into Caras Galadhon and Leon viewed it as beautiful. They went through the round stairways climbing the trees and reached an arch. Haldir bowed then stepped aside for the Fellowship to meet the powerful elf couple. The group stared at them while Aragorn touched his head as a form of greeting.

"The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone … Eight there are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him … I can no longer see him from afar," said Celeborn.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow," said Galadriel reading Aragorn's eyes.

"I had not known the reason for going into Moria at the first place. The Balrog that dwelled there took Gandalf," said Leon.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do yet know his whole purpose. Do not let the emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your hear, Gimli son of Gloin. For the world has grown full of peril … And in all lands … love is now mingled with grief," Galadriel said to Gimli who then looked up at her.

"Where is Legolas? He had set out from Rivendell with all of you. How is it possible you are here?" Celeborn asked.

"According to Gandalf, Saruman found something causing Legolas and me to switch places. My name is Leon and I was supposed to be rescuing the United States president's daughter who is abducted," the American gave out what he had heard earlier.

"We welcome you to our world, Leon," Celeborn spoke in a welcoming tone.

"I can sense many things about you Leon. You are a great, noble warrior who is willing to take risks especially to save lives of others even they cost your life. I sensed pain and suffering in you Leon. You have been through a long and terrible incident involving the virus. You have seen many other lives and a town perish before your eyes. You have braved through many horrors in your life, and you have sadness deep within your heart, a feeling that you have been hiding for much of your life," Galadriel seemed to know something making the American feeling uneasy and the rest of the Fellowship was shocked upon hearing it. Leon was out of words and wondered how she knew about him.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship without Gandalf? Hope is lost," said Celeborn.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail … to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest … for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace," said Galadriel.

Later that night, Gimli was snoring, the hobbits are settling down to rest, and Aragorn sharpened his sword.

"What do they say about him?" Merry asked.

"Can't say," Leon spoke as he was out of words feeling bothered about the Lady.

"I bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them. The finest rockets ever seen. They burst in stars of blue and green … Or after thunder … silver showers. Came falling like a … rain of flowers," said Sam. "Oh, that doesn't do them justice by a long road."

Leon noticed Aragorn got up from his bed and he walked over to Boromir.

"Hey Leon," Merry said to the American.

"What's up?"

"Is what Lady Galadriel said about you true? All that stuff she sensed from you?"

"I'll tell you about it in another time. Good night."

"Good night, Leon," Merry spoke as he went back to his bed.

Two hours later, Leon had difficulty sleeping and heard a voice. He took a walk and came across an ornate stand with silver bowl in the middle filled with water. When he began looking into the water on the bowl, it began to show images like a video player.

Leon saw scientists that he recognized as employees of the Umbrella Corporation working on something. The water changed the scene to the streets overran by zombies and hundreds of innocent people fall victim to them. The S.W.A.T. team and the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service could not stop them leaving the streets littered with spent cartridges, bodies, and abandoned vehicles.

Leon realized that it was bringing back memories of the lost city. The water showed an image shifted to Leon as a rookie policeman meeting with Claire Redfield who was searching her brother. They battled through hordes of zombies and other monsters to go to the police station. He and Claire took down the mutated police chief Brian Irons and fought another mutant. A scene was changed to Leon encountering Ada Wong who claimed to be searching for her missing boyfriend. Leon blocked a bullet fired from the pistol of an Umbrella scientist, Annette Birkin. The water then switched to Leon and Claire finding young Sherry Birkin who was implanted with the G-Virus embryo. Leon saw himself learning from Annette that Ada was a spy working for another organization and was after the G-Virus. The water changed the scene to Leon and Claire finding the vaccine for Sherry and a Tyrant stood in their way. Ada intervened but was badly wounded by the monster. She left Leon a kiss before dying. Leon and Claire eventually defeated the mutated Tyrant and used a train to escape with Sherry. Though Sherry's mutant father caught up to them, Leon and Claire left the monster to die in the train's self-destruct. This left Sherry orphaned as her mother was killed by her mutant father earlier. With the young girl in the custody of the United States government, Leon had to work for them.

The water switched to a scene where Leon received training to become an elite government agent. It began to show Leon going on a mission in South America and he was partnered with Jack Krauser, an American soldier. Leon recognized those as flashbacks of Operation Javier as it involved a drug lord Javier Hidalgo who led Sacred Snakes and had dealings with Umbrella. The water showed a scene where Leon and Krauser fought through the zombies and other monsters like in Raccoon City. The water switched to a scene showing both men finding a girl Manuela and battled a monster. Leon and Krauser found out that Manuela was Javier's daughter who was kept alive with the t-Veronica Virus. The water showed a scene where both men found the kidnapped missing girls whose organs were taken out by Javier as means to keep his daughter alive. Krauser's arm was injured during the fight with the same monster that turned out to be Manuela's mutant mother. The scene switched to the two Americans taking down the mutated Javier with the help of Manuela using her blood. They were quick to slay the monster and Manuela still had sufficient blood to live. Like Sherry, Manuela was placed in custody of the United States government.

The water changed the scene showing the image of Legolas of the Woodland realm before being switched with Leon. Then there was the scene where the elf fought hordes of Spanish villagers who were abnormal. The water changed the scene showing a red organism took the place of the human head and Legolas shot the organism dead. The water showed a scene where one of the villagers was equipped with a chainsaw. A scene was switched to Legolas fighting hooded men wearing black robes equipped with wooden shields and medieval flails. In a distance behind the elf, there was Ada wearing a red dress. The water showed the scene where Ada fought those same villagers earlier.

"Ada, what is she doing there? Why is she there?" Leon wondered.

The water changed the scene to Ada fighting men wearing grey military uniforms. The one with red hair carried a stun prod with his right hand and held the shield with the left hand. The bald man wore a yellow vest with a bag on his waist held the shield with his right hand and a flail with the left hand. She cracked the shields with her pistol and sent them to their knees by shooting their shin or feet. Ada did a fan kick on the man causing him to let go of the shield. This caused a man wearing a blue cap to back off and there was a taller bald man wearing armor equipped with a war hammer in a distance.

"Villagers, robed men, and militia. I will be fighting them if I didn't switch places with Legolas?" Leon thought.

The water displayed an image of a decent-looking man equipped with a pistol fighting alongside with Legolas. The scene was changed to Legolas saying to Ashley, "I'm under your president's order to rescue you?"

"What? My father?" she asked.

The water changed to the scene where the elf and the girl were hunted by villagers causing the duo to run across the bridge to a castle. Legolas and Ashley raised the drawbridge enraging the villagers as they were being cut off. The scene was changed to Legolas knife-fighting with Krauser witnessed by Ada. He heard a familiar voice, "Time is almost up. Take out anything that might interfere with our plans." Leon recognized it as Albert Wesker and saw a scene Wesker was talking to Ada. The water showed a scene where Legolas was surrounded by militia wearing green equipped with scythes, crossbows, stun prods and their head gear included caps, helmets, bandanas, and masks.

Leon watched the scenes where Legolas coughed out blood and was knocked unconscious. The American saw scenes of monsters the elf would encounter: one was a centaur-like reptile, humanoid insect, a troll-like giant, and a giant salamander in the lake.

This told Leon that Ashley's kidnappers were the reason for what caused the villagers to be abnormal and for the monstrosities.

The water changed the scene to seeing green fields, a house, and several hobbits. The scene changed to the same area was burning and the hobbits were enslaved by orcs. To Leon's horror, a blazing eye yelled at him.

Leon was shocked causing to take several steps back and bumped into someone who turned out to be Galadriel.

"Sorry my lady," the American apologized.

"It's alright, Leon. I've seen it all: who you are and what you have been through."

"It did show some present and future."

"My mirror can show one's past, present, and future."

"If Legolas and I did not switch places, I will be facing another nightmare: abnormal villagers, robed men, militia, monsters, and Krauser."

"Yes. Saruman's trick was something we cannot expect."

"Your … mirror showed a scene with the hobbits and they were enslaved."

"It's the Shire and what you have seen is what happened if Frodo failed the quest. He had seen it before you."

"What is that blazing eye?"

"It's Sauron's spirit."

"Who is he?"

"Here's what you need to know: During the Second Age, it began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. Seven were given to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And finally nine, nine rings were gifted to the races of Men, who above all else, desired power. For within these rings was bound the strength and to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life, 'One Ring to rule them all'. And so one by one, the free lands of Middle-earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. In a last desperate attempt to end Sauron's reign of terror a last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the slopes of Mount Doom. They fought for the freedom of Middle-earth. Victory was near, but the power of the Ring could not be undone. It was in this moment when all hope had faded that Isildur son of the king took up his father's sword. Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur who had this one chance to destroy evil forever. But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted and the Ring of Power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur to his death and some things should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend, legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer. The Ring came to the creature Gollum who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains and there it consumed him. The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long live for 500 years it poisoned years and in the gloom of Gollum's cave it waited. Darkness crept back into the forest of the world; rumor grew of a shadow in the east whispers of a nameless fear and the Ring of Power perceived. It's time had now come, it abandoned Gollum but something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable, a hobbit Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. For the time will soon come, when hobbits shape the fortunes of all," Galadriel recalled the shocking history in an uneasy tone.

"That's a lot to take," Leon commented.

"It's a mere chance that you come to assist us in the war against the two towers."

* * *

After Legolas got up, there was unusual activity inside his body and his skin was discolored. It turned out to be a dream when the elf woke up in reality.

"Legolas, it's been six hours since our last transmission. I was starting to get worried," Hannigan called him.

"It can't be helped. Something strange happened in my body and I started to cough out blood. Worse of all, I started to feel dizzy and lost consciousness."

"Lost consciousness? Maybe that has some connection to what the village chief was talking about?"

"It's still uncertain. I'll continue my mission," Legolas ended the call.

He found a paper saying about the required object to open the church doors but there was also an obstacle. He took whatever he could find in the house and found that it was nighttime when he got out. To the elf's horror, the head of an elderly village man was destroyed and a red organism came out.

"It must be the Las Plagas parasite," Legolas thought. A single arrow was able to lay waste to the parasite. There was another village man in overalls equipped with a hatchet making an intruder call. Though Legolas fired an arrow at the head, the parasite came out. Legolas killed it with another arrow. He learned that the parasites would come out at night as they were light sensitive.

After Legolas climbed down using the long strong rope, he managed to kill a younger village man without taking on the parasite inside the host. As there were no stepping stones to cross the water, he saw crates hanging by chains. The elf had to use the rifle as an arrow would not be strong to break the chains. He freed the crates with the gun and used them as stepping stones to cross the water. There was a fence to prevent the crates from going anywhere. Legolas pulled a lever turning the trough to face the water wheel so that the water could turn it. As a result, a water gate was closed so that there would not be a waterfall to block the entrance to a cavern.

More village men came out and some of them carried torches. One used the torch as a melee weapon while the other used it for fire blowing. Legolas watched carefully and knifed the villager who used the torch as a club. Before the villager puffed, the elf instantly fired an arrow on the village man who burnt himself instead. Legolas killed some of the villagers without exposing the parasites while the others he had to kill the parasites.

Inside the cavern, Legolas took a round object with the cult's insignia. Hannigan called him after the door opened.

"I found an object that resembles the cult group's insignia. It must be the key to open the church doors," said the elf.

"Wonderful, Legolas. Head back to the church. Ashley's safety is our immediate priority," Hannigan ordered as the call ended.

Legolas took another boat through the underground tunnel. He came across another merchant who sold several small objects known as fragmentation grenades to him. After learning how to use those new weapons, he went back to the surface.

When the elf went into an enclosure, a village man wearing overalls closed the gates on the fences trapping him. Legolas turned to see the large doors in the rock wall were opened by a pair of village men. A pair of three village men ran out with ropes and one of the yelled out ordering. The elf watched the men were pulling something inside and heard groans. The ropes seemed to snap and there was booming. A giant humanoid resembling a troll came out destroying the doors causing a rock fall that barricaded its lair. The monster butchered the village men with its deadly melee attacks using its hands and feet. It even grabbed a younger village man that was used as a projectile thrown at the village man with overalls.

Legolas dodged the beast's first uppercut and it roared at him. Arrows did not seem to do much damage to that monster causing the elf to use the shotgun he had found in the village house. During the fight, there was a howl.

"Hey, it's that dog," Legolas muttered recognizing the animal he rescued earlier as its leg was stained with blood. The dog jumped in and barked at the beast grabbing its attention. The animal was agile enough to dodge the monster's melee attacks and bought Legolas time to take necessary supplies from the wooden huts. Like trolls, the monster could throw large rocks to attack.

After Legolas dodged the beast's shoulder ram, the monster grabbed a nearby tree to use as a club for once. Both the dog and elf dodged the swing. The elf threw a fragmentation grenade to the monster and the explosion forced the massive parasite to come out of its back. The beast knelt placing its hands on its face. The elf instantly ran and climbed the beast slashing the parasite mercilessly with his white knives. The monster got back up and eventually fell down into the ground motionlessly. Legolas dodged the body and the gates on both fences were opened. The dog was nowhere to be seen afterwards.

As Legolas reached the church, three wolves ran towards him. He killed two of them and the back of the last one was opened.

"Parasites inside wolves? This is getting complicated," the elf thought and finished the parasite-controlled animal.

After entering the church, the elf had to operate the mechanism to open the portcullis. As he opened the door of a room, there was the blonde girl.

"Ashley."

"Don't come!" she hurled an object at him and he dodged the projectile.

"Hey, take it easy!"

"No! Get away!" Ashley shouted in a frightened tone and was pinned.

"Calm down. Everything's gonna be just fine. I'm Legolas of the Woodland realm and I'm under your president's order to rescue you."

"What? My father?" Ashley sounded convinced.

"That's right. And I have to get you out of here. Now come with me."

Hannigan called him and Legolas told her, "Ashley is with me now."

"Good work Legolas. I'll send a chopper over right away."

"What's a chopper?"

"Think of a flying machine. You'll need it to get you two out of there."

"Where do we meet with it?"

"There's another trail you can take to get out of the village. The chopper will pick you up beyond there."

"Got it. We're on our way."


	6. Chapter 2-2

In Isengard, Saruman said to the first of the new humanoid creatures he bred for his army. "Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were Elves once taken by the dark powers tortured, mutilated, a ruined and terrible form of life. And now perfected, my fighting Uruk-hai. Whom do you serve?"

"Saruman," the Uruk-hai known as Lurtz replied.

From part of his army, approximately three thousand Uruk-hai along with Lurtz were given armor and the white hand as an insignia of the Isengard army. The terrible Uruk warriors were given swords and shields while Lurtz was equipped with a sword and bow.

"Hunt them down! Do not stop until they're found! You do not know fear, you do not pain. You will taste man flesh!" Saruman gave a speech to the Uruk warriors who roared while raising their weapons.

"One of the Halflings carries something of great value. Bring them to me alive and unspoiled. Kill the others especially the stranger to the lands here!" the treacherous wizard gave a clear order to Lurtz.

The hunting party set out from the Uruk pit.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes," Celeborn spoke as Leon and the Fellowship received elven cloaks.

Leon and his friends prepared for departure placing parcels into their boat. They received gifts from Galadriel: Merry and Pippin received daggers of Noldorin, Sam was given Elven rope, Gimli asked for nothing other than one look upon Galadriel one last time, and Frodo received the phial of Galadriel. "This Elven Brooch will be your souvenir that you will never forget us," the lady of Lorien gave Leon a present.

"Thank you, my lady," said the American.

Boromir shared a boat with Merry and Pippin, Frodo and Sam were with Aragorn, and Leon was in the same boat as Gimli. The Fellowship traveled along the river and stopped at an island for a night. Leon saw a floating log being held onto by some creature. "Gollum," Aragorn recognized it.

"I've heard of that while we're in Moria. I guess he wants to get his hands on the Ring. What else do you know about him?" said the American.

"He was called Smeagol and was a Stoor, one of the three early types of Hobbits. When he found the Ring, it drove him mad and gave him eternal life exceeding many other Hobbits in his time. The Ring is what made into that and he calls it his 'precious'," the ranger spoke with what he knew. They watched the log bumped into rocks and Gollum was nowhere to be seen.

The remainder of the Fellowship camped out for the night. "From what we heard from Lady Galadriel, it made us curious about you on what you had been through," said Aragorn.

Leon recalled his involvement in Raccoon City and Operation Javier.

"That was so wrong for what Umbrella and Javier had done," Merry commented.

"You seem to be able to get out of all those mess before joining us," said Pippin.

"Imagine that the foes Leon faced are scarier and more powerful than those wraiths," Sam muttered.

"Wraiths?" Leon asked.

"He's referring to the Nazgul," said Aragorn.

"What is that?" the American asked.

"They were once great kings of Men. Sauron the Deceiver gave them the nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them all without questioning. One by one, they fall into darkness becoming Sauron's servants as Ringwraiths or the Nazgul," Aragorn gave out what he knew and recalled meeting the hobbits. Leon also learned that Frodo was stabbed by the lead Nazgul using the Morgul and Arwen, the elf whom Aragorn loved, hurried to get Frodo to Rivendell. Aragorn also told Leon about the meeting with the council of Elrond and the only way to destroy the One Ring was to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.

"That's a lot to take," the American commented.

"I wonder how Legolas is doing," Frodo muttered.

"If Legolas got into the mess Leon was supposed to be, he can find a way to get out of it and come back to us," Aragorn attempted to reassure the young hobbit.

Leon knew that Legolas would bump into Ada in his place.

The next morning, the merchant showed to business with the Fellowship. Leon bought the hobbits pistols with silencers and taught them how to use them. Aragorn also learned from Leon how to use a pistol.

The Fellowship continued their way along the Anduin River passing the statues.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north," Aragorn announced after the Fellowships parked the boats.

"Oh, yes?! It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!" said Gimli.

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength Master Dwarf," said Aragorn.

"Recover my …" the dwarf was out of words.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked and Boromir's shield was with the package.

"I'll go find them," said Leon.

After minutes of searching, the American found the young hobbit. "It's OK, we're here to help."

"Can you protect me from yourself?" Frodo asked in a frightened tone.

"What are you talking about?"

Frodo showed Leon the Ring, "would you destroy it?"

"I would like to see you casting it into the fires of Mount Doom."

"I know. Look after the others especially Sam, he will not understand."

"Something's going on in your sword."

Frodo took part of his short sword that was glowing blue.

"I'll hold off whatever is coming. Go Frodo, run!" Leon ordered. As the hobbit fled, Leon faced was a large horde of humanoids wearing black armor wielding swords and shields. They stood about the size of an average humanoid and were muscular. The American took out his machinegun and opened fire spraying those creatures. He controlled his burst shots making every of them count as those creatures were pelted by bullets and their shields could not withstand those piercing projectiles.

"FIND THE HALFLINGS! UH! FIND THE HALFLINGS!" Leon heard the creatures' leader shouting.

The rest of the Fellowship heard the gunfire knowing there was trouble. Aragorn and Gimli arrived joining the fight as the ranger fired his silenced pistol and Gimli threw an axe into one of those creatures.

"What are they?" Leon asked.

"Those are Uruk-hai, much tougher than Orcs," Gimli answered and used his axe to hack every Uruk warrior.

Aragorn had his sword on his right hand and his silenced pistol on his left hand. He cut and shot every Uruk warrior on the way. When his pistol ran out of ammo on the clip, he put it away and used his sword with both hands.

When the ammo box on Leon's machinegun was empty, he drew out his knife clashing blades with the Uruk warriors and readied his pistol. He stabbed an Uruk and gave it along with the others close to it a roundhouse kick. Leon saw an Uruk pinning Aragorn down and gave that Uruk a headshot. Everyone heard the horn, "Who is blowing it?" Leon asked.

"Boromir," Aragorn recognized as the trio hurried and Leon tossed a fragmentation grenade blowing a group of Uruk warriors that were behind them.

When Leon arrived, he found Boromir was crippled and three arrows were embedded on him: one on the shoulder, one on the stomach, and one on the chest. In front of the crippled man was an Uruk-hai preparing his arrow to finish him off with a headshot. Aragorn leapt at the Uruk causing the arrow to miss and it took a shield when using its sword. The Uruk clashed blades with Aragorn and pushed the man into a tree. Aragorn's sword fell off his hands and the Uruk pinned him down by throwing the shield at him. Leon quickly reloaded his machinegun and shouted at the Uruk, "HALT!"

The Uruk turn to Leon who fired the machinegun crazily at it as forty rounds landed at its chest, stomach, and head.

Both men hurried to Boromir, "They took the little ones."

"All of them?" Leon asked.

"Just Merry and Pippin. Frodo! Where's Frodo?" Boromir said.

"Frodo left on his own," said the American.

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him," said Boromir.

"The Ring is beyond our reach now," said Aragorn.

"Forgive me, I did not see it. I have failed you all," said Boromir.

"No Boromir, you fought bravely. You kept your honor," said Aragorn as he attempted pull the arrows.

"I don't think he will make it," said Leon as he stopped Aragorn.

"Leon's right. It is over. The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness. And city to ruin," Boromir spoke in a hopeless tone.

"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall … nor our people fail!" said Aragorn.

"Our people. Our people," said Boromir and attempted to reach for his sword. Leon grabbed it and gave it to his dying friend placing the hilt in his hands. Boromir clasp it to his chest and Gimli arrived. "I would have followed you my brother … my captain … my king!"

Boromir turned to the American, "Leon, promise that you will protect my people, my home."

"I'll keep your promise until Sauron and Saruman are finished," Leon spoke with commitment and Boromir passed away.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," Aragorn touched his forehead and lips in respect, then kissed the dead man on the forehead. Leon closed the eyes of Boromir and Gimli bowed.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return," said Aragorn.

The dwarf and remaining men placed the body along with his sword, shield, and horn into one of the boats letting it flow right into the waterfall. Leon saw Frodo and Sam reaching the other side of the shore.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," said Aragorn.

"Then it has all been in vain! The Fellowship has failed," said Gimli.

"Even if the Fellowship failed, it doesn't mean the mission had failed. What matters is that Frodo and Sam succeed and what we can do is to lean on each other. Now we have two hobbits to rescue," Leon countered the statement.

"Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let us hunt some Orc!" Aragorn ordered as the trio began pursuing Merry, Pippin, and their captors.

"Yes!" Gimli spoke with enthusiasm.

* * *

"I'll take the girl," a voice intercepted both Legolas and Ashley.

"Who are you?" Legolas asked a man wearing a decorated purple robe holding a strange staff in a serious tone.

"If you must know, my name is Osmund Saddler, the master of this fine religious community," the man introduced himself.

"What do you want?" the elf asked.

"To demonstrate to the whole world, our astounding power, of course. No longer will the United States think they can police the world forever. So we kidnapped the President's daughter, in order to give her power, and then send her back," Saddler answered in a relatively malicious tone.

"No," Ashley muttered as she remembered being injected with something. "Legolas, I think they shot something in my neck."

"What did you do to her?" the elf asked angrily.

"We've just planted a little … gift. Oh, there's going to be one hell of a party when she returns home to her loving father," Saddler chuckled in an evil tone. "But before that, I thought I might bargain with the President for some donations. Believe it or not, it takes quite a lot of money to keep this church up and running."

"You go nowhere with faith in money," said Legolas.

"Oh, I believe I forgot to tell you we gave you the same gift," said Saddler.

"So this is what the village chief was saying about having the 'same blood' as them," the elf spoke as he found the answer.

"Oh, I truly hope you like our small, but special contributions. When the eggs hatch, you'll become my puppets. Involuntarily, you'll do as I say. I'll have total control over your minds. Don't you think this is a revolutionary way to propagate one's faith?" said Saddler.

"You remind me of Sauron," Legolas replied. The church doors opened as a pair of hooded cultists wearing black robes entered. They aimed their crossbows at Legolas and Ashley. The elf quickly fired a pair of arrows simultaneously at the cultists before they could pull the trigger of their weapons. The elf held onto the girl's hand and ran out of the building.

"Legolas, what's going to happen to us? Who's Sauron?" Ashley asked.

"Sauron is the Dark Lord who is seeking to dominate the world I'm from, Middle-earth. Now we have a quest," said the elf.

"What quest?"

"Whatever they shot in our necks, we'll get them out."

Saddler ordered approximately 98% of his subjects to recover her and the two percent were in the location of the woman in red. She was placed on a stone table of the sacrifice chamber where three villagers muttered something related to a ritual. The village man in red vest screamed as he swung the halberd on her. At the second of the scream woke her up, she jumped out of the table surprising the other village men but the blade left a cut on her thigh. She took down the villagers in the area and took a key to unlock the gates. The woman in red went in and got a key from the barn. She used it to start the cable platforms that she took to get across.

Legolas took down the villagers patrolling the village and the same area he passed through before going to the abandoned house. This time the elf led the girl to path on the north. As the wooden gates were locked, there was no key required. The elf decided to send Ashley to the other side as she could unlock them there. He knelt for the girl to climb onto his shoulders and stood up for her climb over the gates. She removed the plank, "I opened it, Legolas."

Hannigan called him, "Legolas, I have some bad news."

"Go ahead and tell me."

"We've lost contact with the chopper. Someone must have shot it down, though we can't determine who."

"We're still on our way to the extraction point."

"Good, we're prepping another chopper for you."

After Legolas and Ashley crossed the bridge, more village men came out from the left path and there was shouting from behind.

"What are we going to do, Legolas?" Ashley asked.

"Into the cabin, quick," the elf ordered as they hurried to get in.

"Legolas!" both the elf and the girl were not alone as Luis was there. Legolas caught the wooden pole and used it to lock the door.

"Small world eh?" said Luis. "Well, I see that the President equipped his daughter with ballistics too."

"How rude?! I don't believe there's any relevance with my figure and my standing! Who are you?" Ashley spoke as she was offended.

"Ho oh, excuse me your highness. Perhaps the young lady might want to introduce herself first before asking someone his name," Luis said to Ashley as Legolas checked upstairs.

"Her name's Ashley Graham, the President's daughter," the girl introduced herself to Luis.

"Is she? Well you know," Luis asked Legolas.

"What can I say?" the elf was out of words.

"Never mind, supposed to be some kind of obvious symptom before you turn into one of them anyway," Luis muttered.

"Look," Ashley pointed to the village men that the number covered the entire area. They began making their way into the cabin. Though the door was locked, there were other ways for them to get in.

"Ashley, upstairs," Legolas ordered as she ran up and found a place to hide.

Luis readied his pistol to help out, "Okay, it's game time."

Legolas and Luis first barricaded the window areas with shelves and the village men began slamming into the wooden planks. The elf and his friend positioned themselves not far from one of the corners. The village men broke the planks sending the shelves into the floor breaking them. The elderly village men and the men in overalls were unarmed. The younger village men were equipped with hatchets and sickles. The men in red vest wielded torches used as melee weapon with either their left or right hands. Luis opened fire but a single gunshot on the body would not kill the village men. The elf fired the arrows at the younger village men before they could throw the hatchets and sickles. A single arrow was able to kill a younger village man or a man in overalls. As for some of the elderly village men and the men in red vests, an arrow caused the head to erupt and the parasite come out. Nonetheless, a single arrow could lay waste to the parasite. Luis fired one bullet into the parasite causing the body of the host to stagger. Legolas used his knives to melee the village men who got close to both him and his friend.

A village man wielding a torch strangled Luis instead of using the weapon on him. The elf saw that and fired an arrow on the village man causing to let go. "Thanks, Legolas," said Luis. However when Legolas did so, the head of the village man erupted exposing the parasite. Luis continued firing his pistol on the parasite to bring it down.

An elderly village man strangled the elf and Luis shot him to let go of the elf. Legolas let his friend shoot that individual and force the parasite to come out. The elf finished it off with an arrow.

When a younger village man strangled Luis, Legolas killed the village man with an arrow. "I owe you, Legolas," said Luis.

When both the elf and Luis were strangled simultaneously, Luis shook the attacker off by giving him a kick. Legolas killed the attacker by kicking him on the head with sufficient force. Sometimes the powerful kick would cause the head to erupt exposing the parasite.

"Legolas, upstairs," Luis spoke as he saw the village men brought ladders. After the elf and his friend went upstairs, the village men raised the ladders breaking the windows. The two friends slowed the village men down by knocking the ladders down causing the climbing village men to fall. Legolas killed some of the climbing village men by shooting them causing them to fall to their deaths. The other village men either re-raise the ladders or enter through the ground floor.

"Man, missing the reds!" Luis muttered.

Both friends together killed up to 100 village men and Legolas had more kills. The remaining village men outside retreated onto both sides: the bridge and the left path. "They're falling back," Legolas commented after removing the wooden pole from the door.

"So, what do we do now?" Luis asked.

Ashley came out of her hiding place and heard, "We have a quest at hand, and will you come with us?"

"I forgot something, you guys going ahead," Luis spoke as he put back his pistol and headed out.

"Luis," said Legolas but was ignored.

Both the elf and the girl heard Luis talking, "Hey senorita, that a light and some smokes with it to go to make my day."

"Where's the sample?" it was the woman in red.

"Okay, we skip the foreplay. As a matter of fact, I was just going to get it. Where's the love baby?"

"Sounds like fun to me, just hurry up."

"Okay lady, what do you stand in all of this? Exactly what kind of group are you working for?"

"There are some things in the world better off not knowing, this is one of them."

"Fine, I can take a hint. I don't care who you are, as long as you get rid of that old man and his religious friends," Luis made the reference to Saddler and the cult.

When Legolas and Ashley came out of the cabin, the woman in red was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?" the elf wondered.


	7. Chapter 2-3

"What did you pick?" Leon asked.

"Their pace has quickened; they must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragorn spoke according what he made out of by listening to the ground.

"Three days' and nights' pursuit. No food, no rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell," Gimli spoke as he was out of breath.

"Stop whining and hurry. You don't want Merry and Pippin to die, do you?" the American said to the dwarf.

The trio ran as fast as they could and came across an Elven Brooch from the ground. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," said Aragorn.

"I don't know how long Merry and Pippin will be alive. We must get to them before their captors reached where they came from," said Leon.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" said Aragorn.

Gimli stumbled from behind some rocks and rolled to the ground, "I am wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

"Looks like you're the exception," Leon spoke with a sarcastic tone.

The trio reached to the plains, "Rohan. Home of the horse lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us," Aragorn spoke according to what he knew about the land.

"Who own the Uruk-hai? Are they not from Mordor?" Leon asked.

"Mordor don't use the white hand as a symbol," Aragorn replied.

"Are they from Isengard?" Leon asked.

"Saruman," Aragorn dodged the question.

"We must hurry," said the American.

Meanwhile in Isengard, Saruman communicated with Sauron via the Palantir, "The world is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman and the union of the two towers? Together, my lord Sauron, we shall rule this Middle-earth. The old world will burn in the fires of industry. The forests will fall. A new order will rise. We will drive the machine of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fists of the Orc. We have only to remove those who oppose us."

Saruman checked the army production and was not impressed, "I want them armed and ready to march within two weeks!"

"But my lord, there are too many! They cannot all be armed in time, we don't have the means," an orc supervisor reported.

"Build a dam block the stream, work the furnaces night and day," Saruman ordered.

"We don't have enough fuel to feed the fires," the supervisor spoke with concern.

"The Forest of Fangorn lies on our doorstep. Burn it!" Saruman saw the solution.

"Yes!" the supervisor then passed the order.

The White Wizard recruited the wild men of Dunland to scourge the land of Rohan. When the attack commenced, a village woman sent her only two young children to Rohan's capital city. The family went on separate ways escaping the onslaught. "We have only to remove those who oppose us. It will begin in Rohan. Too long have these peasants stood against you. But no more. Rohan my lord is ready to fall."

Leon, Aragorn, and Gimli ran across the plains of Rohan at and hid behind a boulder as a large battalion of horsemen were passing them.

Aragorn, Leon, and Gimli came out. "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" Aragorn came out and caught their attention.

The horsemen surrounded the trio and pointed their pikes at them, "What business does a Dwarf and two Men have in the Riddlemark? Speak quickly," said the leader of the horsemen.

"Give me your name horse master and I shall give you mine," said Gimli.

The lead rider dismounted, "I would cut off your head, Dwarf. If it stood but a little higher from the ground."

"Freeze!" Leon held the leader at gunpoint with his pistol but the riders had the points of their pikes close to Leon.

Aragorn placed his hand in front of the American who lowered his weapon. "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn; this is Gimli, son of Gloin; and Leon from American. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king."

The lead rider was confused and Leon said, "I'm not from around here."

"He's from another world," Gimli elaborated.

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe, not even his own kin," the lead rider spoke as he took off his helmet. The riders lifted their pikes. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan and for that we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning, he walks here and there they say. As an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slipped pass our nets."

"We're no spies. We're tracking a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive," said Aragorn.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night," the lead rider informed.

"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli spoke in a frantic tone.

"They would be small. Would probably look like children to you," said Leon.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," the lead rider pointed at the smoking pile.

"Dead?" Gimli asked.

"I am sorry," said the lead rider.

"Why couldn't you and your troops watch who you kill?" Leon asked.

"We did not know that there would be hobbits among them. If we had, we could have been careful," said the lead rider. "Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell," the lead rider whistled calling two horses. "Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands," the lead rider put his helmet back on and mounted. "We ride north!" he ordered as the battalion left.

Aragorn mounted on the brown horse while Leon shared the white horse with Gimli. They rode to the pile of burned bodies and Gimli pulled out a belt with a dagger sheath. "It's one of their wee belts."

Aragorn angrily kicked the helmet and yelled out before falling to his knees.

"There is a possibility that the riders freed the hobbits and the two escaped," said Leon.

"What makes you think that?" Gimli asked.

Aragorn began working out what had happened the previous night, "A hobbit lay here, and the other … They crawled. Their hands were bound. Their bonds were cut … They ran over here. They were followed … The tracks lead away from the battle … into Fangorn Forest." They found the rope being cut and followed the tracks.

"Fangorn. What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked.

They went further into the woods and Gimli took a stain on a leaf then brought it to his mouth. "Orc blood!" the dwarf spat.

"These are strange tracks," Aragorn saw large footprints.

"What else is there?" Leon asked and heard groans causing Gimli to prepare his axe.

"Gimli! Lower your axe," Aragorn said to the dwarf.

"Oh," the dwarf slowly lowered his axe.

* * *

Legolas and Ashley found a document about the two paths. The elf expected more villagers on the left path and learned that the village men had moved in another troll-like giant into the right side path earlier. Legolas decided to turn the lever right so that he and the girl could go through the path on the right side. Out of their expectations, they found the monster dead. The elf figured out that the woman in red had taken the right side path to get to the cabin area. In one of the huts, Legolas found a key to unlock the door.

They found a gate locked and without any other choices, they took the cable platforms. Legolas fired arrows at the village men standing on the planks and on the cable platforms. He also took out a few village men occupying the sacrifice chamber. The elf bought whatever they needed from the merchant.

When the elf and the girl approached the barn, he expected the village chief to be inside. "Ashley, find a place to hide," he ordered.

Legolas went into the structure alone and took several steps from the entrance. When he turned to his back, the chief grabbed him and strangled him. The strong man threw the elf into a beam and twisted the door handles preventing the elf from escaping. The chief turned to Legolas and attempted to grab him. The elf dodged and rolled to a red barrel. The elf tipped the barrel so that the oil could flow to the chief. Legolas rolled it over to the chief and fired his rifle at it blowing it up while setting the place on fire.

The explosion did not kill the strong man; however to Legolas' horror, the chief became a monster: claws grew on the chief's fingers, segmented limbs burst out of the strong man's back, and the chief's body was split by a thick, spinal column-like structure edged by tiny, moving legs.

The elf knew that arrows would not damage the monster and lured it to another barrel. He fired his rifle to detonate it and the explosion was strong enough to disconnect the chief's legs from the upper body. However the monster used its new limbs to hang onto the beams. Legolas threw a fragmentation grenade knocking the monster into the floor and blasted it with his shotgun until it grabbed onto another beam. When the elf hit the monster with sufficient force, the chief died and his red eye came off. Legolas took the eye and handled it with caution. After taking the necessary supplies the elf salvaged, the flames made an opening on the wall. Legolas jumped out and reunited with Ashley who came out of her hiding place.

The elf used the eye to unlock the gate so that he and the girl got out of the village reaching the extraction point. The chopper did not arrive, but the village men caught up to them.

"To the fortress," Legolas ordered as he and Ashley ran across the bridge. "Raise the bridge so that they can't reach us."

Both the elf and the girl turned the two cranks to raise the drawbridge preventing the village men from pursuing them. As a result, the village men were enraged and eventually gave up the chase. The fate of the villagers was unknown.


	8. Chapter 3-1

"Something's coming," Leon noticed movement.

"The White Wizard?"

"I don't know."

"Do not let him speak, he'll put a spell on us," Aragorn spoke as he prepared his sword. Leon turned the safety off on his machinegun and Gimli had his axe ready. "We must be quick."

Leon's gun flew out of his hand and Gimli threw an axe that was being deflected. Aragorn's sword became red hot and was being dropped.

"You're tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," said the White Wizard.

"Where are they?!" Aragorn demanded.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn shouted in an impatient tone.

It turned out to be their old friend who appeared different. "It cannot be," Aragorn spoke in disbelief.

"Gandalf? How is it possible?" Leon asked.

"We thought you were Saruman," Gimli spoke as he bowed.

"I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been," said Gandalf.

"You fell?" Aragorn spoke as he remembered.

"How did you survive the Balrog?" Leon asked.

"Through fire … and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth … Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside … Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time … Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done," Gandalf recalled.

"Gandalf, we're glad that you came back to us," said Leon.

"Gandalf? Yes … That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name," said the wizard.

"Gandalf," said the dwarf.

"I am Gandalf the White and I come back to you now … at the turn of the tide. One stage of your journey is over, another begins. We must ride to Edoras with all speed," Gandalf re-introduced himself.

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" said Gimli.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king," said Aragorn.

"We met up with a large battalion of horsemen. Their captain reported that Saruman had corrupted their king so that he and his men were banished for being loyal to Rohan," Leon told Gandalf about the encounter.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured," Gandalf spoke as he could remedy that condition and knew the difficulty.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor Hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested …" Gimli whined until there were more groans being heard. "I mean, charming, quite charming forest."

"Watch you say, Gimli. You don't want to piss off whatever is living in this forest," Leon said to the dwarf. "Who's going to look after Merry and Pippin in our absence?"

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains," said Gandalf.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend," Aragorn commented.

"You always talk in riddles," Leon elaborated causing the man and the wizard to laugh.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up … and find that they are strong," said the wizard.

"Strong?! Oh that's good," Gimli spoke interpreting it as good news.

"So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be," Gandalf reassured the Dwarf.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one," the dwarf muttered.

"Is there an Ent that knows common language?" the American asked.

"Only Treebeard can understand and speak common language," Gandalf replied.

After the four friends got out, Gandalf let out a piercing whistle that three horses answered to. "Shadowfax. He's the lord of all horses and he's been my friend through many dangers," the wizard recognized the white horse. The four friends mounted and began riding to Edoras.

* * *

After Legolas bought necessary supplies from the merchant, he and Ashley went further in through the fortress. They heard chanting and Legolas spotted a pair of cultists wearing black robes. The elf took them down with his bow.

After taking the stairs, they were spotted by a cultist wearing red and a ram skull. As a result, the cultists in black operated the catapults that launched flaming rocks. Legolas used his rifle to detonate the red barrels blowing the catapult and the cultist. They went into the tower and saw something Legolas had never seen before. "What is that?"

"It's a cannon."

"We don't have that kind of weapon in Middle-earth."

They took the stairs and spotted another black cultist wearing a skull helmet and wielded a scythe. The elf managed to kill that cultist by shooting him on the body with bow and arrow. He had Ashley wait inside a hut and dealt with the remaining catapults.

There was no barrel near the last catapult and the elf shot the crew dead. The gate was locked and there was no key for that. Legolas signaled Ashley to operate the crank bringing the cannon up and shot two unarmed hooded black cultists dead with two arrows. After the girl finished with the crank, "how do we use that cannon?" Legolas asked.

"You need fire to light fuse," she replied.

Legolas took a burning bowl used as a light supposed and lit the fuse to blast the gate with the cannon.

After entering the door, Hannigan called him, "Legolas, where's your current location?"

"We took refuge in a fortress. It's a mistake as the Los Illuminados here gave us an unfriendly welcome."

"I have an idea. Legolas …" she was being cut off.

He found a golden sword in the silver board and took it. Upstairs there were three hooded black cultists equipped with medieval flails. It was easy for the elf to take them down with his bow, however he heard someone's talking from behind. It was a lead cultist wearing nothing in his head and equipped with a flail giving the order to the other black cultists. Legolas shot the black cultists dead and as for the lead cultist, one arrow caused the parasite to expose. The parasite inside the cultist was different from those in the villagers as it was white and longer. When the cultists got too close, the elf and the girl first dodged their deadly swing from their flails before he knived them. It took two arrows to waste the new type of parasite. Legolas took the silver sword from the golden board and replaced it with the golden sword. After placing the silver sword on the silver board, a door was unlocked.

"Legolas!" it was Luis who caught up to them.

"Luis," said Legolas.

"I got something for you guys," the man checked and realized nothing. "Oh sh**, I must have dropped it when I was running away from them."

"Dropped what?" Ashley asked.

"I dropped it will stop your convulsions. Look, I know you're carriers, you've been coughing out blood right?" said Luis.

"Yes," Legolas spoke with certainty.

"And you?" Luis asked Ashley.

"Yes," she answered not in an honest tone.

"Dammit, the eggs have hatched. We don't have much time," Luis spoke as he knew something making the elf becoming suspicious of him.

"What are you talking about?" the elf asked.

"I have to go back and get it," Luis dodged the question.

"Let me come with you," said Ashley.

"No, you stay here with Legolas. He's better with the ladies, I'm sure," Luis said to Ashley expecting the dangers she would face.

Both Legolas and Ashley decided to follow Luis with the intention to get answers. They found him picking up two containers: a jar with small objects and a long tube with something inside.

"You two have followed me," Luis turned to the duo.

"I want to know what's going on," Legolas spoke in a serious tone.

"I am a researcher hired by Saddler," Luis admitting shocking the two. "He found out what I was up to."

"You double-crossed him?" said Ashley.

"Why are you helping us?" the elf demanded.

"We can put an end to what Saddler is planning together for the good," Luis spoke with good intentions. "You two can have those."

The Spaniard handed the jar and Legolas asked, "What are those?"

"They suppress the world of the parasite," Luis answered.

"How do we get the parasites out of our bodies?" the elf asked.

"There is one machine can do it," the man knew the solution.

"Can you take us there?" Ashley asked.

"It will be my pleasure. But first we have to get through the castle," Luis spoke as he knew the solution's whereabouts.

The three friends returned to the place where they last met and there was a huge locked gate.

"Luis, Ashley, wait here," said Legolas as he went into another door. He quickly shot an unarmed hooded black cultist and went into a hut where there was a small group of black cultists wielding flails. Some of the cultists were not hooded and they had crimson tattoos on their faces. The elf first had to dodge their lethal swings before knifing them. He took whatever necessary he could find. In the window he shot a hooded black cultist equipped with a crossbow. He faced off against two hooded black cultists wielding flails with their right hands and wooden shields that had spikes and the cult's insignia with their left hands. The cultists with shields could attack with either their flails or ram the opponent with their shields. Legolas used the shotgun to shatter their shields before sweeping them. He finished them off by braining them with knives. Legolas got the key from the chest inside a storeroom.

After the trio entered through the gate, they heard sinister chuckle in a large hallway. "Show yourself!" Legolas shouted.

"You finally noticed us," a dwarf with the height similar to a hobbit wearing fancy outfit appeared. On his sides were taller figures, one wearing a black robe and the other in red.

"Who are you?" the elf demanded.

"Me llamo Ramon Salazar, the eighth castellan of this magnificient architecture. I have been honored with the prodigious power from the great lord Saddler. I've been expecting you, my brethrens," the dwarf grinned in an evil way.

"I don't expect any welcome from Saddler's servants," Legolas spoke in a strong tone.

"My, my, we've got a feisty one. If you care for your own well-being, I suggest you surrender and simply … become our hostage. Or, Mr. Elf, you can give us the girl, because you're not worth a penny I'm afraid … you can die," Salazar spoke as he and the two figures left.

"I'll never turn into one of them, never!" Ashley spoke in a strong tone.

"We have to hurry," said Luis.

A door lifted and it required three objects to unlock. The door on the left was locked so that the trio had to take the door on the right. There was a flaming barrier that had to be shut down and in the portrait a key was found.

"It's a prison key," said Luis.

"What's being locked?" Legolas asked.

"The Garrador, also known as Claw Man, a Plaga-infested warrior is very brutal. The good news is that he is blind. Be careful," the man tipped him off.

"Watch out for her," the elf reminded.

Legolas entered the prison alone and found the lever in the cell of the restrained Claw Man that was slightly taller than an average human wearing a helmet and gauntlets with retractable claws. At the second the elf kicked the door down; the Claw Man broke free from the restrains and began clawing at where the noise was. The elf got out of the way and noticed the Plaga parasite in the Claw Man's back. Legolas learned that Claw Man relied on the other senses to find him. The elf kept his distance and shot the parasite with an arrow. The Claw Man swung his claws wildly thinking the elf was near him. The second arrow killed the parasite and therefore killed the Claw Man. The elf deactivated the barrier by pushing the lever upwards.

After Legolas rejoined the others, an unhooded unarmed black cultist made an order to the other two unhooded cultists wielding flails. The elf quickly shot the unarmed cultist while Luis used his pistol to pelt an armed cultist with bullets. Legolas shot the other armed cultist dead while Luis had his next kill. In the room of the barrier, there were three black cultists: two with crossbows and one with the explosive weapon similar to the ones the villagers equipped.

"Luis, what is that?" Legolas asked.

"Dynamite," the man answered.

After the hooded cultist lit the dynamite, Legolas shot him dead and the explosion killed the masked cultists with crossbows.

The three friends entered into a large hallway where there was a group of cultists with a hooded lead cultist equipped with a flail. Legolas spotted two unhooded cultists aimed their crossbows on him and took them out. Luis opened fire at the black cultists on the right. Like the villagers, the armed cultists strangled Luis instead of using their weapons on him. The elf took down the black cultists with arrows and the man began making holes on the wooden shield of one cultist. Luis shot the cultist through the holes killing one and made holes on the other shield. Legolas released an arrow through the hole killing the cultists. However, the doors on both sides opened as two pairs of cultists entered and one pair carried wooden shields. Luis fired at the black cultist wearing the skull helmet equipped with a flail and it turned out that the helmet was bulletproof. After two friends took down the two pairs, Luis pelted the lead cultist and the parasite was exposed. Legolas killed the parasite with two arrows.

They entered a room with two buttons on the floor. After the elf and the girl stepped onto the buttons, a crank appeared outside. The Spaniard and the elf covered her while she operated the crank bringing a bridge and stairs combo down. After she finished operating the crank, a group of hooded black cultists equipped scythes. Luis killed one cultist while Legolas took the others except the hooded lead cultist equipped with a scythe. The Spaniard took down the lead cultist without the parasite exposed.

"Look, there's a crank over there," Ashley pointed to the crank.

The elf helped her up and she ordered, "Watch out for me."

"Luis, keep me covered while I'm covering her," he ordered the Spaniard.

"Certainly," the man had his pistol ready to gun down the black cultists that attacked the two friends.

Legolas released arrows on the black cultists that attempted to grab the girl. After she finished with one crank, a small walkway emerged from the water. Ashley proceeded with operating the other crank bringing the other walkway up. The elf had to catch her when she jumped down.

The three friends jumped their way through and entered into another large area. They found a door with gun symbols.

"What does that mean?" Legolas asked.

"It's more of a shooting gallery," Ashley answered.

They found a merchant running the shooting gallery. Legolas and Luis played the shooting game using pistols hitting the targets with villagers painted on it. They avoided hitting the decoys with Ashley painted on them. Hitting the dynamite on the target blew up the surrounding targets. They got bonus by hitting the light target. As prizes, they got gold and a set of bottle caps with recording played.

In the first row, there was Luis firing his pistol saying, "Did you send those invitations? I told you no more than 50 people." Second bottle cap was Ashley calling for help. Third bottle cap was Legolas equipped with shotgun saying, "Don't worry Ashley! We're coming for you!" Fourth bottle cap was Leon wearing a vest equipped with a weapon he had not seen before saying, "Stand back!" Fifth bottle cap was Legolas equipped with his bow and arrow saying, "Ada". The last bottle cap was the woman in red equipped with a pistol saying, "Legolas, now!"

In the second row there were villagers: village man in vest wielding a hatchet, village man in overalls wielding a sickle, younger village man wielding a pitchfork, elderly village man making an intruder call, an elderly village woman carrying a bucket, and a younger village woman wielding a knife.

In the third row there was the merchant opening his trench coat saying, "Welcome." The second bottle cap was an elderly village man whose head was replaced by the Plaga parasite. The other four bottle caps were the cultists: a black unhooded cultist wielding a scythe, a black masked cultist wielding a flail and wooden shield, a cultist wearing the skull helmet and purple robes wielding a crossbow, and the lead cultist wearing the ram skull.

In the last row, the first bottle cap was the pair of masked village men wielding the mechanical weapons. The second bottle cap was a pair of village women wearing bandages equipped with the same mechanical weapons. The third bottle cap was a man wearing green and a bandana on his head equipped with dynamite. The fourth bottle cap was a man in a brown suit wearing a mask and wielding a weapon that Legolas had never seen before. The fifth bottle cap was a taller man wearing armor equipped with a war hammer. The last bottle cap was a tall strong man equipped with a gun.

Legolas decided to keep the bottle cap set as a souvenir that could make him remember such unexpected adventure.

After the trio got out and went to a corridor, Ashley began coughing out blood. "You're alright?" Legolas asked.

"I'm fine, leave me alone!" Ashley pushed the elf aside and ran off.

"Ashley wait!" the elf shouted but was ignored. Sharp stakes were raised separating her from the two friends forcing her to run to the wall that had six holes. The girl was bound by metal bonds. "Ashley!"

"What's going on?" the girl asked in a desperate tone and the wall turned her to the other side. The sharp stakes contracted back under the floor.

"Don't worry Ashley! We're coming for you!" Legolas shouted just like in that bottle cap.

"She lied," Luis muttered.


End file.
